Leakproof Tops For Nursing Mothers

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a nursing garment comprising a leak proof layer made of a polyurethane coated fabric, an absorbent layer beneath the leak proof layer, and an inner fabric layer of a cotton fabric beneath the absorbent layer. The leak proof layer, the absorbent layer, and the inner fabric layer are stitched together. The leak proof layer prevents leakage of fluid to a surface of a wearer&#39;s outer garment. The absorbent layer is a layer of sponge or wood pulp. The absorbent layer absorbs fluid leaked from the wearer, prevents staining of the outer portion of the outer garment, and prevents discomfort caused by the leaked breast milk spreading over the wearer&#39;s body. The nursing garment is worn beneath the wearer&#39;s outer garment, constructed on upper section of the wearer&#39;s outer garment, or forms an attachable element that can be fixed onto the inner surface of the wearer&#39;s outer garment.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a substitute specification for the non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/431,759 titled “Leakproof Tops For Nursing Mothers” filed on Apr. 29, 2009 in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and claims the benefit of non-provisional patent application number 1193/CHE/2008 titled “Leakproof Tops For Nursing Mothers”, filed on May 16, 2008 in the Indian Patent Office.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The nursing garment disclosed herein can be better appreciated and its advantages better understood by considering the description and the accompanying detailed drawings.

FIG. 1 exemplarily illustrates a front view of an outer garment worn by the wearer comprising a nursing garment constructed on the upper section of the outer garment.

FIG. 2 exemplarily illustrates a rear view of the layered configuration of the nursing garment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to garments worn by women, in particular, clothes worn to cover the upper portion of the body that can prevent staining of clothes due to excessive outflow of a fluid, for example, breast milk, in the case of a nursing mother. The nursing garment 101 disclosed herein as illustrated in FIGS. 1-2 ensures greater comfort and also prevents embarrassing situations caused by stains due to excessive outflow of breast milk, for a nursing mother, when compared to normal tops worn by women. Though the stains on a conventional garment worn by the wearer can be washed away, they can be embarrassing for the nursing mother when it forms a noticeable stain on the garment worn. The nursing garment 101 disclosed herein ensures that the exterior of the outer garment 102 worn on the upper body of the wearer does not get stained by breast milk in case of any excessive outflow, thus helping the wearer of the nursing garment 101 to avoid the constant worry of having to check if there are any stains on their outer garment 102. The nursing garment 101 disclosed herein can be adapted to different types of tops worn by women such as blouses, shirts and other garments for the upper body, including single piece garments such as gowns worn for the entire body. As used herein, the wearer refers to a person, for example, a nursing mother who wears the nursing garment 101. The nursing garment 101 disclosed herein also ensures that there is no discomfort to the wearer of the nursing garment 101 caused by outflow of excess breast milk.

Almost all garments worn by women for covering the upper areas of the body are made of various kinds of fabric, whether synthetic or natural that does not have any special properties which can prevent leaked breast milk from staining the outer surface of the garment. Even in cases where the garment is made of a number of layers of fabric, it is not sufficient in order to prevent leaked breast milk from staining the outer layer 101 a of the outer garment 102. The nursing garment 101 disclosed herein uses multiple layers, for example, layers 101 b, 101 c, and 101 d of material to prevent staining of the surface of the wearer's outer garment 102 and also to ensure complete absorption of leaked breast milk, so as to avoid any discomfort to the wearer. The nursing garment 101 disclosed herein ensures that the wearer need not worry about leakage of breast milk or stains caused thereby. The nursing garment 101 disclosed herein provides nursing mothers with a garment for the upper body that they can wear without worrying about any stains that may be caused by leaked breast milk. Furthermore, the nursing garment 101 disclosed herein ensures that nursing mothers do not feel any discomfort due to leaked breast milk spreading over their body. Furthermore, the nursing garment 101 disclosed herein is itself adaptable to the different types of garments worn on the upper body by women.

The nursing garment 101 disclosed herein also referred to as a leak proof top for nursing mothers comprises a leak proof layer 101 b made of a polyurethane coated fabric, an absorbent layer 101 c beneath the leak proof layer 101 b, and an inner fabric layer 101 d beneath the absorbent layer 101 c.

The inner fabric layer 101 d is, for example, made of a cotton fabric for ensuring greater comfort for the wearer. The inner fabric layer 101 d touches the body of the wearer. Over the inner fabric layer 101 d, the absorbent layer is fixed and the use of the absorbent layer 101 c is confined to the upper portion of the garment 102 close to the breast region of the wearer. The absorbent layer 101 c absorbs the fluid, for example, breast milk, leaked from the wearer. In an embodiment, the absorbent layer 101 c is a layer of sponge. In this embodiment, the absorbent layer 101 c of sponge is enclosed in a thick layer of a fabric, for example, silk-cotton to reduce discomfort caused by the sponge. In another embodiment, the absorbent layer 101 c is made of wood pulp to enhance absorption of the fluid.

Over to the absorbent layer 101 c, the leak proof layer 101 b is fixed. The leak proof layer 101 b prevents leakage of the fluid, for example, breast milk, from the wearer to the surface of an outer garment 102 worn by the wearer. The leak proof layer 101 b is made of, for example, a waterproof material made of polyurethane coated fabric so as to prevent any moisture or fluid from coming to the surface of the wearer's outer garment 102.

Another layer comprises the layer of the outer garment 102 which is intended to be worn by the wearer. This layer ensures that external looks of the outer garment 102 are unchanged and that all the changes are only on the inner surface of the outer garment 102. As a result of the unique layered configuration of the nursing garment 101 disclosed herein, the nursing garment 101 fits comfortably on the upper body of the intended wearer and also ensures that the wearer of the nursing garment 101 does not have any discomfort since only the inner fabric layer 101 d made of cotton touches the skin of the wearer. The nursing garment 101 disclosed herein also ensures that the wearer does not suffer any discomfort due to spreading of the leaked breast milk on the body of the wearer, since the absorbent layer 101 c in the nursing garment 101 disclosed herein assures immediate absorption of leaked breast milk.

FIG. 1 exemplarily illustrates a front view of an outer garment worn by the wearer, wherein the nursing garment 101 is constructed on the upper section of the outer garment 102 such that the stitched leak proof layer 101 b and the absorbent layer 101 c are confined to a region above the waist of the wearer.

FIG. 2 exemplarily illustrates rear view of the layered configuration of the nursing garment 101 disclosed herein. The nursing garment 101 comprises a leak proof layer 101 b made of a polyurethane coated fabric, an absorbent layer 101 c beneath the leak proof layer 101 b, and an inner fabric layer 101 d beneath the absorbent layer 101 c.

The outer layer 101 a is the usual layer of the outer garment 102. Beneath the outer layer 101 a, the leak proof layer 101 b is provided. After the leak proof layer 101 b, the absorbent layer 101 c is provided followed by the inner fabric layer 101 d made of a cotton fabric. The leak proof layer 101 b, the absorbent layer 101 c, and the inner fabric layer 101 d illustrated in FIG. 2 are stitched together using, for example, a polyester thread and held in place to form the nursing garment 101 exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 1.

The final garment exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 1 is constructed by incorporating the outer layer 101 a and the nursing garment 101. The sizes of the different portions of the nursing garment 101 are determined by the proportions of the intended wearer. The different layers of the nursing garment 101 are stitched together to hold the different layers firmly in place. The nursing garment 101 rests comfortably on the upper body of the wearer for whom the nursing garment 101 is prepared and the external looks of the nursing garment 101 do not show any change from that of a conventional garment worn by the-wearer. The-leak proof layer 101 b beneath the outer layer 101 a ensures that any leaked breast milk does not stain the surface of the outer garment 102 and the absorbent layer 101 c beneath the waterproof layer ensures that any leaked breast milk is readily absorbed and does not cause any discomfort to the wearer.

There are a number of improvements in the nursing garment 101 disclosed herein, when compared to garments that are generally worn by women for the upper part of their body. The nursing garment 101 disclosed herein prevents staining caused by leaked breast milk in the case of nursing mothers. Furthermore, the nursing garment 101 disclosed herein uses an absorbent layer 101 c beneath the leak proof layer, so that leaked breast milk if any does not cause any discomfort by flowing down the body of the wearer. The combined use of the leak proof layer and the absorbent layer 101 c ensures that the exterior of the outer garment 102 is not stained and also that the wearer does not suffer any discomfort due to leaked breast milk. The third improvement is that the use of a cotton inner fabric layer 101 d in the nursing garment 101 disclosed herein, ensures maximum comfort for the wearer since the inner fabric layer 101 d prevents the skin from coming in contact with the other layers of the nursing garment 101.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternate embodiments of the invention, will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. It is therefore contemplated that such modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined. 

1. A nursing garment comprising: a leak proof layer for preventing leakage of fluid from a wearer to a surface of an outer garment worn by said wearer; an absorbent layer beneath said leak proof layer for absorbing said fluid leaked from the wearer; and an inner fabric layer beneath said absorbent layer; wherein the leak proof layer, the absorbent layer, and said inner fabric layer are stitched together and held in place.
 2. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein the leak proof layer, the absorbent layer, and the inner fabric layer are stitched together using a thread.
 3. The nursing garment of claim 1 wherein the inner fabric layer is made of a cotton fabric.
 4. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein the leak proof layer comprises a material selected from a group comprising one or more of a polytetrafluoroethylene treated fabric, a polyvinyl chloride coated nylon, a polyurethane coated satin, and a semi-permeable membrane.
 5. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein the absorbent layer is a layer of sponge.
 6. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein the absorbent layer is made of wood pulp to enhance absorption of the fluid.
 7. The nursing garment of claim 1 worn beneath said outer garment of the wearer.
 8. The nursing garment of claim 1 constructed on upper section of said outer garment of the wearer.
 9. The nursing garment of claim 1 forming an attachable element, wherein said attachable element is fixed onto inner surface of said outer garment of the wearer using an adhesive tape.
 10. The nursing garment of claim 9, wherein the attachable element is disposable after use.
 11. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein the absorbent layer of sponge is enclosed in a thick layer of silk-cotton to reduce discomfort caused by said sponge. 